ATLA: Lost In California
by snickerdoodle12
Summary: The gang is in present-day in California. They don't know why or how, but they know they have to get back. Along the way they find some help. Will she be able to get them back?
1. Chapter 1

A/N - Some introductions to the main characters. Enjoy! I don't own Avatar.

* * *

_Ding-dong!_

I jumped from my place on the couch as I heard the doorbell ring. Walking around the corner, I could see who it was. I opened the door and waited for what I had heard so many times before.

"Hello, ma'am," smiled the little girl. "I'm selling cookies to raise money for our local animal shelters. If you contribute, it's for a great cause. I have chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar…"

I sighed as she listed every type of cookie she had. Trying to be nice, I told her I'd buy a few boxes.

_Hey,_ _it's for the animals,_ I thought. _Why not?_

When I had signed the paper and given her back her pen, she thanked me and was on her way to the next house. But something made me stay right there; a force that wouldn't let me close the door. I looked out onto the street. Mothers with baby strollers, little kids on bicycles, teenagers in convertibles…nothing unusual.

_You're losing it._

Sighing, I slammed the front door and walked back into the living room. It was a beautiful day, so all the blinds were up and windows were open. I decided not to turn on the TV and walked over to the front hallway. This kind of weather only came a few times in this town: warm, but not too hot; sunny, but not blinding; and the blooming flowers were just enough to not make you sneeze. I walked out into the front yard, barefoot.

I felt that weird force again. Only this time it was…heavier, more eerie.

_Get it together, Nat! _I scolded myself.

Again, I stared beyond my yard, into the street. Nothing had changed, had it?

I saw everything I had before, but something else. There was a group of kids walking together. This would've been perfectly normal here if they were all the same age, but they weren't.

There was a young girl, probably around eleven or twelve years old. Her head was bowed and dark hair covered her round face. Beside her walked another girl, she appeared to be about fourteen years old. She had tan-ish skin and long brown hair. Her bright blue eyes seemed to be dulled in confusion. Her brother, I guessed, walked in the front of the group. He had the same color skin, hair, and eyes, but looked older and more like a leader with that map in his hands. In the back of a group were two guys, one who looked about thirteen, and the other sixteen or seventeen. A bald thirteen-year-old with tattoos? Hey, I guess anything's possible in California. The sixteen-year-old had shaggy black hair that shaded his amber eyes—which were quite refreshing, by the way. I was so sick of this blond-haired blue-eyed small California town. As soon as I got into college, I was gonna be _out of here._

The group's clothing, their appearances, and everything about the atmosphere were so…foreign. They looked lost and confused. I scrambled back inside, tearing through the closet for my flip-flops. Life's mysteries are all about taking risks, right? Well, that's exactly what I was going to do.

After I found what I was looking for I ran back outside, stopped, and looked ahead of me.

_Good. They're still here, _I thought, relieved.

I casually walked out onto the street, keeping an eye on them. Then I veered to the right to get closer. I could hear them clearly now:

"Maybe we're in the Spirit World," the older girl guessed.

"I don't think so." It was the tattooed boy. "This isn't like any other place in the Spirit World I've been to before. And it seems like no one notices us. Usually I'm having a conversation with Roku by now."

Spirit World? Roku? What were they talking about?! As they stopped on the side of the road, I couldn't stand it any longer. Walking up to the group, I took in a deep breath and thought about what I would say. I didn't have much time. Everyone looked up at me and changed their positions. It was as if they were going to…

_Oh, great. No way am I going to fight them!_

The older girl's brother opened his mouth.

"Hi," I interrupted. "I noticed you all looking at a map…are you lost?"

_Ugh! _I could've smacked myself. _Jeez, Nat._ _Could you _be_ any more lame?!_

"We don't _need_ your help," he spat. I guess he's sensitive about being interrupted. "We're fine on our own."

"I don't know, Sokka…" it was the smaller girl. Her hair slid away from her face as she looked up at him, and I could see it clearly now. She had the most beautiful pale green eyes. "She doesn't mean any harm. Let's give her a chance."

The one in the back, the sixteen-year-old, rolled his eyes and sighed. "Just tell us how to get back to the Western Air Temple and we'll go." The group looked at me expectantly.

"The Western Air Temple?" I repeated. The oldest girl nodded hopefully. "Well, there's a _Jewish_ temple down the street, but I've never heard of any Western Air Temples."

"Oh," the girl said wistfully, bowing her head. "That's okay."

"Listen, I know the area pretty well, and if you guys'd like to come inside then we can have a look at that map to find wherever this temple is." I gestured toward my house.

With exchanged glances and worried eyes, the girl nodded and followed me, the group right behind her.

"I'm Natalie, by the way," I said, trying to brighten the mood.

"Nice to meet you, Natalie," the boy with tattoos answered. He was very upbeat; it made me smile. "I'm Aang, and this is Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko," he said, pointing to his friends. "I'd introduce you to Appa and Momo, but we don't know where they are."

I giggled quietly. "Those are very different names," I said, opening the front door. "But cool, too."

He shrugged. "Pretty normal where we come from."

"Well, Aang," I continued, "let's find out where you're going…"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – I know, I know, this chapter is very short. But when I wrote the last sentence, I thought it looked like a good place to stop. Don't worry, I'm putting Chapter 3 up very shortly. Enjoy! P.S. – I don't own Avatar.

* * *

"This…this doesn't make any sense…" 

We were sitting around my kitchen table looking at Sokka's map. The sun shined in through windows and the big French doors, making everything bright and cheery-looking. Aang and his friends all insisted that they drink water, instead of iced tea, because they thought that any cold tea was bizarre and sickly.

"Are you sure you're looking at it correctly?" Sokka asked. He turned it so that the bottom was to him and I saw it upside-down.

"I know how to read a map," I assured. "I've never seen anything like this before. No countries, no oceans, no capitals…" But I was right. Sure, there was land and water, but no names or words or even symbols. And the land masses each had their own color, which seemed significant in a way.

"Wait, you said this was a map of the world?" I asked, getting up from my chair. Sokka nodded. "I'll be right back." I ran into my room, straight to the bookshelf. I pulled out an old atlas and brought it to the table. I flipped the pages until there was a map of the whole of planet Earth.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but _this_ is actually what the world looks like today," I said, pointing to the page. They looked at it so suspiciously, as if they didn't believe me.

Then the room was suddenly filled to the ceiling with gasps and sighs and other surprised noises. It was choking in shock. Then the smallest girl, Toph, I think, broke the drowning exclamations.

"Will someone _please_ tell me what's going on?" she said irritably. I pushed the map in front of her. She looked down, then back up at me. "I probably should've told you I'm blind," she sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

"Don't be sorry. I can see, just not the same as you. Twinkletoes will you the story later. Just now, someone explain to me what's so incredibly amazing about this map!"

"It's not anything like home, that's for sure," Katara said. "There are lots of different masses of land, and they all have writing on them. The oceans do to."

I flipped the pages again. "We're in the USA right now-that's short for 'The United States of America'-and we're near the Pacific Ocean. That's right here," I said, pointing to different parts of the page. I flipped the book once more. "To be more specific, we're all sitting here, in the state of California."

More silence. But it wasn't long before they all exchanged glances and looked back at me. Then the room was choking again. This time in laughter. Not the happy kind of laughter that you hear when you tell a joke or hear something funny, not that kind. It was the laughter of disbelief-of mockery, almost.

"You think I'm kidding?" I said, with an irritated tone to my voice.

"Ah man, that's good," Sokka said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Seriously, where are we?"

"I just told you!" I exclaimed. "A-MER-I-CA," I sounded it out for them. "I have no clue where you guys are coming from, but I know where you are. I know where _I_ am." Maybe it seemed like I was overreacting. But I hate when people don't believe me. And I hate being laughed at, when I'm not trying to be funny. But those are other stories.

"She means it, guys," Toph explained. "Natalie is telling the truth."

I was about to flash her a thankful glance, but again I remembered her…condition. She seemed to sense my awkwardness and threw _me_ a quick smile before Aang began to speak.

"So if we're really here, in this…America…then where are the four nations? Where is _home?_"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – Yay! This one is longer than Chapter 2. I don't own Avatar.

* * *

It had been a long day. I searched and searched the internet, looking for anything about "the four nations" I could scrape up. Then we raided every encyclopedia I owned, every schoolbook preserved, trying to find anything about these people's home. After many hours and lots of iced water, we came up with nothing. 

You could probably imagine how upset I was. Here they are, this strange group of kids coming from nowhere, and I can't even find anything about their _world. _I felt so defeated and exhausted; all I wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep. But first, there were things to be done.

"You guys can stay here tonight, if you want," I offered. "My parents are out of town for a couple of months so there's plenty of space."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked. "We don't want to impose. And if your parents come home early or something…"

"No, no, it's fine. They give me a lot of freedom, so as long as you guys aren't five-foot-tall murderers in disguise, they'll be okay," I joked, looking at Aang. He smiled. I liked Aang a lot. Not in the "be-my-boyfriend" way, but in a way that made me want to be his friend. He was sweet and cheery, but smart too. A cool kid.

Another half-hour passed until everyone was settled. Katara and Toph were staying in one of the guestrooms, each with their own bed. Sokka and Aang slept in the room next to theirs, each with their own bed also. There was one more guestroom in our house, with one bed. That went to Zuko, since there was no more room, and I figured he might want to be alone. Not that he seemed depressed or anything, but we're about the same age (I think) and I sometimes like to be alone also.

* * *

I couldn't sleep. I'd tried everything from counting imaginary sheep to choking down three glasses of warm milk, which I didn't even like. Now I almost felt nauseas. Sighing, I walked over to the living room, flopped down on the couch, and curled the knitted blanket around my body. I twirled my fingers around the strands of yarn coming off the blanket. It was old, and in bad shape. I didn't care though. This blanket was made by my Nana, and was the last thing I had of her. I'd keep it until it was only strips of yarn, and then I'd keep them preserved in a bag. I would never let this thing, so sentimental to me, go. 

It wasn't long before I heard footsteps. Turning my head around, I saw it was Zuko.

"Can't sleep?" I whispered. He nodded. I moved my feet to make room and patted the space next to me on the couch. He sat down lightly.

There was quiet for a while, then I looked up at Zuko. His side was facing me, and when the moon hit his face, I could see it was red. Zuko had a bad scar. It started at the bridge of his nose and worked its way to his left ear. No wonder he always seemed grouchy. I sensed that he noticed me staring so I looked away.

But I couldn't take the awkward silence much longer. "So," I said, "that scar…do you mind me asking what happened?"

Zuko turned his head to face me. His eyes shined silver in the reflecting moonlight, which were hard to see anyway through his shaggy black hair.

"It's a long story," he stated quietly, and looked over at the wall. But I knew he wasn't really seeing it.

"I can't sleep, you can't sleep, and there'll be daylight in about three or four hours. I think time is all we've got, my friend."

He sighed. "Alright. But you probably won't understand a lot of it…since you don't really know much about where we come from."

"I'll get it eventually."

"Okay. Well, when I was thirteen, my father was Firelord -- that's like a king -- and I was prince of the Fire Nation. I wanted to learn about different parts of his job since I was going to have to do it one day. I went into his war room and spoke out when I wasn't supposed to, so he saw it as completely disrespectful. And in my country we have a way of solving things that's pretty barbaric, if you ask me. An "Agni Kai" or "Fire Duel". I didn't know I'd be dueling him, but when I found out I refused to fight and he…well, he burned me." After that he swallowed hard and looked away. I wanted to reach out, to pat him on the back maybe. But it seemed like it'd be too odd. We barely knew each other.

But I still had a heart. "I'm sorry," I whispered, breathless. What he told me was really unexpected…I thought that maybe it was an accident. I didn't know _how_ his father had burned him, but suddenly I knew how his home life must've been.

"That was three years ago," he said, regaining his dignity. "Then I was banished, and couldn't come back unless I captured the Avatar-that's Aang. And I became obsessed. After a while, thanks to my sister, I went back home, but realized that my honor was something no one could give to me. I joined the Avatar and his friends, and then we met you."

I smiled. He smiled back. I felt like this stranger had many different stories to tell me. His friends also. But I was content with what I knew, and I could tell that if something came up, those tales would be revealed, one by one.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – A short chapter, so the next one will be long, continuing this subject. I don't own Avatar.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of a knocking on the front door. I made sure to get up very quietly, because Zuko was still sleeping on a chair across from me. 

_Must've moved after I fell asleep,_ I thought.

I opened the front door and saw a familiar face. It was the Girl Scout who had sold me cookies.

"Back so soon?" I said, smiling.

"Yes, ma'am," she said cheerfully. "Thank you for your contribution and here are your cookies!" she reached back into her small green wagon and pulled out the boxes I had ordered. I took them and thanked her, then closed the door. I walked sluggishly into the kitchen to put the boxes away. Next, I went into Katara & Toph's room. I was going to let Zuko sleep awhile longer. I knew how late he was up the night before.

"Hey guys," I whispered, opening the door, "time to wake up. I've got plans for us today."

The two girls sat up in bed and rubbed their eyes.

"Bathroom's across the hall, right?" Toph mumbled, scratching her back. I nodded and she walked past me. Katara stretched her arms luxuriously and yawned.

"Sleep well last night?" I asked.

"Very well. You've got a nice quiet house," she answered.

_She doesn't know how lonely quiet can be…_

I flashed her a quick smile before continuing down the hall to the boys' room.

"Aang," I called softly, knocking. "Sokka…it's morning. Get ready to go out."

There were a few sleepy noises before someone answered "we're up" and I went back to the living room.

I tapped Zuko lightly on the shoulder. He was positioned upright, as if he fell asleep watching the T.V.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" I teased softly. He moaned and opened his eyes.

"Morning already?"

I let out a small giggle. "Unfortunately. Now get dressed. We've got things to do today."

* * *

"Now," I began, starting the car. "I don't know how long you'll all be here, but until then, you can't keep wearing those clothes."

"What's wrong with our clothes?" Toph asked from behind me. She folded her arms over her chest.

"Nothing, really. I actually like them a lot. They're unique. But that's not at all how people are dressing today, and you don't want to draw much attention to yourselves. What we have on our hands is a serious situation, and I don't think getting anyone else involved is a good idea. That's another thing," I looked back at them to show how important this was. "Let's keep this whole thing between the six of us. Deal?"

There was nodding and mumbles of agreement. When the car fell silent, I turned back around and pressed the gas. They screamed.

"What?!" I shrieked, hitting the brakes.

"Where exactly are we?" Toph asked, panting. "It's so…synthetic. I can't see anything in here, besides a few metal things."

_They've never been in a car before! _I realized.

"Well, this is called a car. It's used for transportation, and depending on the type, it can go pretty fast. There are lots of ways to travel here. Planes are up in the sky. They fly people to locations across the sea and—"

"People can fly _here_ too?!" Aang asked excitedly. He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat. If it weren't for the seatbelt, he would've shot through the roof.

"Yeah," I answered, giggling. "I'll tell you all about it on the way there. Just promise you'll let me drive without screaming your heads off?"

"Okay. But, first, where are we going?" Sokka asked skeptically.

I turned around to face the road. Right before I hit the gas I gave a small smile and said "The mall."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N –** **THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN MODIFIED! THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN MODIFIED! THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN MODIFIED!**

Yeah, MODIFIED! XP This chapter was so fun to write. Thank you, Warbird, for the magnificent ideas! P.S. – For all those people wondering where Natalie got all the money, she's stinking rich! XD Of course, her parents took most of the money and some is in the bank, but they left her a lot of it. You'll understand if you read. I don't own Avatar, Hollister, Zumies, Abercrombie or Kai's Sushi Shack (if there is one). XD

* * *

"Okay, this will take a bit of time since you're all different ages & sizes. I suggest we just walk around, and if anyone sees a store they think they'll like, we'll go in," I decided. I wasn't going to let them walk around alone. "Oh, and none of that bending stuff you were talking about. Remember what I said about attention issues?" 

They groaned and nodded.

"Good. My parents left me money, but I need it for other things too. So speak up if you—"

"HERE!" Katara pointed to a Hollister store. "This place looks cute!"

"Cute?" Toph repeated. "Sounds like my kinda place," she stated sarcastically, and was and dragged in by Katara.

"It's really not that bad," I assured her. "They've got some things that aren't so frilly and girly. I'll help, if you want."

Toph and I went off to the section with her sizes and the rest of the group followed Katara.

"This is nice," I said, holding a graphic T-shirt up to her. "And it looks like your size. Want to go try it on? Or…can you?" I was stammering. "Actually, let's find some other stuff before you go in so we don't have to make a million trips."

Toph seemed to be highly amused by my awkwardness, and agreed. We spent about forty minutes looking around, and I tried to match clothes with her personality. You could probably imagine how difficult it was. I hadn't really gotten any time alone with this girl until now, and I was supposed to shop for her. But in the little time we had spent, I got to know her a bit more. I liked her confidence and opinions. She was very mature for her age.

After Katara and Toph had tried everything on, I paid and we left with about four bags in our hands. Two for Toph, two for Katara. The big ones, or else we'd be carrying eight small bags. I'd also let them borrow some of my old clothes. I was going to have a garage sale, but this is a better way to save money.

The next store we entered was Abercrombie & Fitch. Aang was the only one shopping this time, but I couldn't imagine Sokka or Zuko in a polo shirt, so it was fine. He was more conscious of the time we spent, so he went fast. Literally. Aang ran like the wind and talked to the salespeople like lightning to end his trip in fifteen minutes. Two more bags. Four to go.

Along the way, we passed a few of those annoying people trying to sell you stuff. The first time we came across one, it was a harmless teenage girl trying to get Katara to buy makeup. It was ridiculously expensive and terrible quality, but she didn't know better and walked right into the trap. Before that woman could touch Katara's face with a brush I pulled her away and we walked on quickly. I suppose Toph wasn't listening when I told them about the nuisances here, because our next encounter was deadly.

She walked right up to some guy in an isolated corner of the mall who wanted to trade her drugs, cigarettes, you name it. Anything that could harm your body was in his bag. Of course, the unexpected girl had no clue what they were and picked up a cigarette.

"That'll be twenty dollars, miss," the man said coldly.

She looked at him sternly with her blind eyes. "Twenty dollars for this junk?" she said. "What is it, anyway? Some kind of cheap prank?"

The man gritted his teeth and tensed his muscles, as if he were going to hit her.

_Oh my goodness… _I thought when I finally saw where she was.

"Toph!" Sokka screamed her name as we ran up to her, panting.

"Let's go," I said, placing my hand on her shoulder. "You don't want anything here." She followed us back into the throng of people, and I gave that guy the nastiest stare I could manage from afar. If we got to her just one second later…I would've never forgiven myself.

When that affair was ten minutes behind us, Sokka stopped the group.

"What about this place?" he said, pointing to Zumies. "Maybe there's something in there for you too, Zuko."

Zuko looked up at the sign and rolled his eyes. "Let's get this over with," he sighed, and we all followed the boys into the store.

We'd been walking for hours, and were all tired. Katara, Toph and I sat outside of the changing rooms while Zuko and Sokka tried on some outfits. When they came outside, we stood up and I paid for them. The final four bags were purchased.

Too tired to cook, I suggested a dinner at the food court. They nodded and followed me to the best restaurant there, Kai's Sushi Shack. I got my usual, and so did _almost_ all of them. It turns out that Aang is a vegetarian. He had a soda and a huge plate of rice. The food was delicious, as always, and the little group thought it was good too, though they didn't eat much. It amazed me to see how fun people-watching was with these guys.

They asked all types of questions, from "Why do they do that?" then "How is that possible?" and to "What is _that?_"

Dusk was falling around the parking lot as we made our way to the mini-van. Everyone got in and buckled up.

"You know," I said, backing out of the parking space, "I've been answering your questions all day. Now it's your turn. What are the four nations like?"

* * *

Everyone changed into their new pajamas as soon as we got inside. We were all exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. I felt good falling asleep. I had met these strange people with an unbelievable story, took them inside, and gave them a taste of California. Suddenly, my little home town didn't seem so bad after all. 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – Sorry for the lack of explanations in the last chapter. But say Natalie needs to go shopping; she can't leave the gang home alone and certainly can't take them out in their regular clothes! But still, Chapter 5 has been modified, please read it over if you haven't already. Thanks for listening, and I don't own Avatar.

* * *

The tiled kitchen floor was icy cold beneath my feet. It was about eight o'clock in the morning, and I was the only one awake. For some reason I was extremely thirsty and opened up the fridge. I pulled out the water pitcher, then a cup, and poured. After I put the pitcher back into the fridge, I gulped down the water, dumped the cup into the sink, and flopped down on the living room couch, all done in a rather ungraceful way. 

The sun was hidden today; I figured there might be a storm this morning, which was good. I loved the rain, the pitter-patter against the roof and flow on the window made everything seem so serene and peaceful.

I grabbed the remote and turned on the television. Then a gasp sounded from behind me. It was Katara.

"It's alright," I chuckled.

"What is that thing?" she asked, still shocked. She walked over to a chair across from the TV and sat down, making the leather squeak.

"It's called a television, but most people just shorten it to TV," I answered.

"Those people…are they…are they stuck inside?" she asked. The look on her face changed from surprise to horror.

That made me laugh. "No, no. They're just actors. Someone makes up a fake situation for them, and they act it out for the amusement of others."

"Oh," then she paused. Thinking about it, I guessed. "That sounds a little shallow."

"Well, not really. It's kind of fun, and it pays like you wouldn't believe."

I could tell that she didn't entirely understand, but she accepted my response nonetheless.

"So how does it work?" Now Katara was interested.

"Electricity," I stated simply. She gave me a funny look. "You know, wires and plugs and stuff?" Katara wasn't getting it.

_Might as well start from the beginning, _I thought with a sigh.

"Okay, my history grades aren't that great in school, so bare with me. If I'm right, in the nineteenth century, there was this guy named Ben Franklin. He wanted to do an experiment to prove his electricity theory, so he went out in a thunderstorm and tied a key to a kite. He didn't really prove anything, but he invented the lightning rod, a metal pole that reacts to lightning. Some time later Thomas Edison took his ideas & invented electricity. Now our metal plug is reacting to things inside the outlet, behind the TV."

"Really?" she asked. I nodded. Katara looked at the TV differently now, as if she was mentally thanking Edison just for having the idea. I smiled and handed her the remote.

"We use remotes so we don't have to get up to push the buttons on the TV all the time," I said.

She started to fiddle with it, and then I heard footsteps behind me.

"Aang!" Katara shouted before I could even turn around. "Look at this! Natalie was telling me how…"

She repeated the whole story and Aang looked at me. "Is that true?" he asked, astonished. I nodded and he held out his hand for the remote. "Can I try next?"

"Sure," Katara said, and handed it to him. He was holding it wrong, so she took it from him gently and turned it around.

"Like this," she explained, giving it back. She pushed a button and Aang gasped. I noticed he was blushing.

_But why…?_

Then I realized how close he and Katara were standing. He must like her a lot.

_A shame,_ I thought. _She doesn't seem to notice too much._

It was still cute, so I smiled and left them alone. I tip-toed down the hallway and back into my room, then closed the door softly, careful not to wake anyone. I went to my bookshelf and looked until I found my old photo album. I opened it and sat on my bed, tears welling up in my eyes.

There were pictures of me as a baby, then my big brother Erick, and then my parents. We were all together, a sweet, happy family. There was sheer joy on every face and everything was so simple and uninvolved. Now I couldn't hold back anymore, and the tears were streaming down my face and out of my heart.

Still crying, I flipped the pages. Now I was looking at something even more painful. It was nineteen-year-old Erick in his camouflage in front of our old house. That was the last time I saw him in three years. I missed his twentieth birthday. That must've been huge for him.

It was also the last time I saw my family being proud and happy and all together. Before things got complicated.

Now sobbing, I closed the book gently and tossed it to the end of my bed. I grabbed a pillow and shoved my face in. My tears were flowing freely now, and even thought it hurt my heart, I was relieved. All the pain I'd kept inside for three years was released. There was a refreshing feeling when I opened my window and listened to the rain. I wiped my eyes and sat back down, heaving a long sigh.

Then I realized someone was knocking on my door. "Come in," I rasped, my voice hoarse.

Zuko walked in and began to speak. "Sokka and I were wondering if—hey, what's wrong?"

The aftermath of crying was all over me, from the tear stained face to reddened eyes and a stuffy nose. I swallowed and giggled lightly.

"Nothing," I answered.

"It doesn't look like nothing." He hesitated before walking over and sitting next to me on the bed, his eyes sympathetic and full of concern.

I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time this morning.

"Really," I said, looking straight at him. "I'm fine now."

Zuko paused, and then spoke. "If you're sure," he said. I glanced at him again, and the look in his eyes told me it seemed like he knew the kind of pain I was enduring.

I smiled. "So what was it that you and Sokka wanted?"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N – I know this is short. I blame school! Anyway, I'm slowing it down a bit. You guys were right. :D I don't own Avatar or Cheerios. XD

* * *

I followed Zuko out of my room and into the kitchen. What he told me wasn't hard to believe, and when we got to the doorway I could see he and Sokka weren't the only ones who were hungry; Aang, Katara, and Toph were standing there too. 

"Morning, guys," I said, my voice still cracked with emotion.

"Morning," Toph answered. "So you got anything to eat? I'm _starving!_"

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, let me look." I opened a few cupboards. "Okay, there's cereal, waffles, pancakes…" I listed the breakfast foods and looked back at them. Sokka shook his head.

"You know, I don't think any of us have a clue to what those are," he said sarcastically.

I sighed. "It's kind of hard to explain. But you know, I make some pretty good pancakes, if I do say so myself. Uh, they have eggs in them though…" I looked at Aang.

"It's okay," he said cheerfully. "I can eat something else."

"How about cereal?" I asked. He nodded slowly, as if he was deeply pondering the situation. I turned back to the cupboard and took out a few boxes. "You pick," I told him. He chose the "Honey Coated Oats," or "knock-off Cheerios," as I call them. He liked them, so I started on the pancakes while the gang watched TV.

After the last pancake was flipped, we ate in the living room around the TV. Half way into some old game show they put on, the phone rang and everyone jumped.

_At least there was no screaming this time,_ I thought.

"Relax! It's just the phone," and I picked it up without bothering to glance at the Caller ID.

"Hello?" I said in my usual tone.

"Natalie, pumpkin! How are you?" It was my mother.

"Oh, hi mom. I'm fine, just fine. And you guys?" I could tell that she was trying her hardest to sound enthusiastic about talking to her daughter for the first time in three weeks. And I knew _she_ knew I wasn't buying it.

"We're doing very well. It turns out that your father _was_ in Nana's will after all, so we'll be sending you some of the money soon!" she said that as if money was the most incredibly exciting thing in the world.

"That's nice, mom, thanks. But I think I'm okay for now."

"Oh," she said in a small voice. I probably hurt her when I said that. I'm absolutely nothing like my parents, so they think they can make me happy and connect with me by handing me a big chunk of cash. I'm waiting for them to figure out that it's not working.

"Well anyway, I just wanted to check in." Then there was a long pause before she said, "Did you hear anything about Erick?"

"Nothing," I said darkly. My voice was getting hoarse again. "So, I-I'd better go now…" I searched my mind for a decent excuse, but didn't have to. One good thing about having parents that don't understand you is that you don't have to lie to them, because they leave when things get quiet.

"Alright, darling. You need anything, just call me, you got that?" she said, trying to sound like she cared.

"Yup, bye."

"I love you."

"Love you too, bye." I slammed the phone onto the receiver and walked back to the living room.

"Everything okay?" Katara asked. She looked concerned. I wanted to confide in these people. Even though it had only been a few days, I trusted each of them completely. But I didn't want to talk about my issues right now.

"Fine," I answered in the most nonchalant voice I could manage. "So, what do you guys want to do today?"

"Maybe we should look for a way home again," Zuko suggested. My heart flinched to hear him say that. I really like having these guys here, and the thought of them leaving wasn't a pleasant one at all. The thought of _anyone_ leaving is a bad one, in my opinion.

"I don't know, Zuko," Aang mumbled through a mouthful of cereal. "As much as I'd like to get back home, I'm not really ready to leave yet."

I stifled a sigh of relief, then felt selfish immediately afterwards.

_Why should I want to keep them from their home?_

"Then what do you think we should do?" he asked, an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Aang could use some training," Toph piped up. "Natalie, do you know any big, clear areas around here? Oh, and it's got to be natural, like in a place he'd normally have to fight."

"Well, not far from here, my dad bought this place with long grass, big rocks, and a small stream. It's surrounded by tons of really tall trees, so it's both private and natural. But the landscape is really beautiful, and I don't know how intense these things get, so promise me you'll try not to tear it up completely?"

Toph smiled. "Don't worry. We'll try our best."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N – Sorry for the lack of updates everybody! Things have been pretty crazy lately. You'd think being sick counts for an excuse, right? Well, it doesn't. I felt horrible about it, I'm really sorry. Now I know that when you take a break from writing, it's hard to get back in. This chapter took me a long time. I don't own Avatar!

The sun flashed in and out between trees as we walked through my backyard. The air had cooled down, thanks to the morning rain, and I was enjoying the silent peace that settled between us. It wasn't an awkward silence, which seemed to had been happening quite a lot lately, but it was a nice kind of quiet, a quiet that suggested we were all deep in our own thoughts. That was true, in my case.

I looked over at Sokka and Katara, wondering what it must've been like to lose their mother. Of course, I always thought that I had lost mine, but she wasn't completely lost. She was still there physically, just not emotionally.

_Their_ mom, on the other hand, had been taken away totally. There was no bringing her back. No matter how much distance was between us now, I still could never imagine how it must've been like to live just knowing that your mom would never talk to you again.

Then I caught a glimpse of Aang. He looked…upset. I wondered what was troubling him so much. He told me he was a monk, so I figured he wouldn't miss his parents. But maybe it was something else.

Now we were out of my backyard and going through the woods. The silence was getting to me, so I piped up "It's not far now, guys."

No one replied except Zuko, but he just nodded and adjusted the strap on his sword case. Everyone was wearing their real clothes; the ones they had on when I first met them. We agreed on that for two reasons: one, because it was easier and more comfortable for them to fight in, and two, because apparently they're using fire, and I didn't buy them new clothes just to get burned.

A couple minutes later, Toph stopped and pointed in front of her. "We're here!" she exclaimed, and then she ran up ahead. Everyone else looked up, and I saw she was right. The large ring of giant trees had appeared over the horizon, and I could already smell the sweet, long grasses inside. We sprinted after her. I felt like a child again, running after someone as if we were playing tag.

Once we got inside, everyone looked around. (Everyone except for Toph, of course. But I suppose she explored with her feet…?) I almost felt sorry for Toph, though. She couldn't see the way everything in this natural arena flowed so beautifully together. The afternoon sun was just bright enough to light your way without hurting your eyes, and reflected different shades of blue and soft yellow against the clouds. The grasses were long and silky, just like I had expected if I didn't mow them last week. Now I was happy to have forgotten. Rocks and boulders were randomly spaced, as if a big hand had reached out of the sky and sprinkled them all down. I always wondered why my parents hadn't just cleaned this area up and sold it, considering how money made them so excited. To this day, I _still_ wonder why. Maybe it was luck. Or maybe it was fate.

"You picked a great spot, Nat," Aang said, interrupting my thoughts. The rest of the group agreed silently.

"Maybe you should stand back, find somewhere a little bit more…protected to watch." Zuko suggested.

I turned around. Behind me was a huge boulder, big enough for the whole of our local baseball team's audience to sit at. It was cut naturally, so there were a few sharp edges, but I managed to climb up without much hassle. I looked down at the group, and felt like I really was at an arena. It's amazing how Mother Nature can work with your plans so well!

"Okay guys," I called down. "I'm up."

They nodded to me and then at each other. I noticed Sokka wasn't there. Checking again, I saw he was in the other half of the space, picking up different rocks and quickly inspecting them, then putting them back down. I guess he found the one he was looking for, because then he sat down and began to sharpen his sword with it. Or maybe it was a big knife? I'm not sure. The weapons they had were a lot different from ours.

I looked back at the rest of the group, all steadying their stances. Aang had his feet spread apart, and his staff pointed at an angle in front of him. Katara was standing sideways, but with her head and arms faced toward the front. She opened the cap on her pouch, and I gasped as the water flowed out. It seemed like magic, like she just pulled it from thin air. Upon seeing that, I almost missed what had happened next. Suddenly a rock shot at Aang, but he threw his staff to the side, caught the rock, spun completely around, and threw it back at Toph, who shattered it with ease.

"You're lucky you just learned to Firebend," she teased, "or else I'd make you wear a blindfold again!"

This time Katara took a try to catch him off guard. She had been swishing the water around in the air for a while now, and it was enchanting me. Suddenly, the space between her arms widened, and she threw them in front of her, fingers spread apart, while blowing on the water. It turned to ice, and was going to surround Aang. He put his hands in front of his face and stopped the water, then threw it back at Katara. She stepped to the side and punched the air right as the water was about to hit her hand, sending icicles flying in every direction behind her.

She smiled proudly at her pupil. "Nice job, Aang!" He blushed at receiving her praise.

"You too," Aang said. "When did you learn that move? It was awesome!" He mimicked her last defense, punching to the side with all his might and then throwing his arms in the air, making a swishing noise to suggest the falling icicles.

Katara giggled. "I don't even know, it was just kind of an instinct thing."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Are we training or not?" he asked rhetorically.

Aang's face grew serious. "Right, Zuko. Sorry." He stood a different way this time, with one foot behind the other. He did the same with his hands, his fingers all together and looking like he was going to chop something in half.

Zuko's hands turned to fists as he stepped forward with his back foot and threw a punch of fire out in front of him. It was a pretty simple move, compared to the other bending I had seen. Of course, as they trained more and more, every punch and kick and throw became more complex and risky. I wouldn't be surprised if I hadn't breathed through the entire training session.

Then I remembered Sokka. What had he been doing? Certainly he couldn't have been sharpening his sword this entire time. I almost wanted to get down from this big rock and go talk to him, but I knew it was too dangerous.

As my thoughts pulled me farther and farther away from this planet, I almost hadn't heard Zuko scream, "Natalie! Watch out!"

I dove to my right, just in time to dodge the biggest chunk of ice I had ever seen. Still on my hands and knees, I pulled my head up.

"What was that?!" I yelled down breathlessly.

"Umm, ice?" Sokka retorted. He heard the commotion and had come out from behind that rock.

I smiled sarcastically. "Not funny."

"Sorry!" Aang said suddenly. "Katara was trying to show me that move, and when she accidentally shot some ice at me, I blocked it with my staff." He twirled it around in the air to show me what he meant. "I guess some of it kind of bounced off and…yeah…"

"We're really sorry Nat! Are you sure you're okay?" Katara asked.

I smiled, nodded, and got up off of my hands and knees. Then I patted the ice, still stuck deep in the boulder. "Let's just leave it here," I called down. "It'll melt eventually."

They nodded and continued training for about an hour or so more. On the walk back to my house, we discussed more serious issues.

"We _have_ to find a way back home," Sokka insisted. "No offense to Natalie"-I nodded to let him know I understood-"but this just isn't our place. Aang, you need to defeat Ozai before summer's end, and you can't do that here."

"I know, I know," Aang replied. "But I've been thinking. Remember the last time we each took mini vacations? When we met that professor from Ba Sing Se? Well, that was a long time ago, and we've all been working really hard. What if we count this as one big vacation for all of us?"

Katara's eyes lit up. "Yeah! We can still do everything we did before, Sokka. When we're not training or looking for a way home, we can just relax!"

"Sounds good to me," Toph mumbled through a yawn.

Sokka looked down at his feet. "Fine," he agreed. "But only if it's alright with Natalie."

The group looked at me expectantly. I smiled. "Of course it's alright with me. You guys can stay as long as you need to."

Everyone looked happy, except for Zuko, who turned his head away from the group. The smile faded from my face as I wondered what he was thinking about. I thought that maybe it had something to do with his father, or someone else in his family.

Whatever he was thinking about, he was obviously determined to keep it a secret.

And I was determined to find out.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N – I'm finally starting to write more often! Huzzah! Oh, and this time, I'm doing it in a present-tense instead of past-tense. (Please don't be mad at me, I want to try something new!) Please let me know what you think. Personally, I like past-tense, but I want your opinions. You're the one who has to read it. :D I don't own Avatar._

The heavy front door squeaks as Sokka pulls it open. I smile. At least one part of my youth is still preserved. Erick and I would spend hours playing around that door, yanking it every which way just to drive my parents mad. "It sounds like a giant mouse!" my father would joke. But that was before Nana died, and things are different now.

So I push away that thought.

_Don't be selfish. You're alive, you've got friends, and you've got memories. Stop acting like some abandoned orphan._

As soon as we get inside, everyone collapses on the furniture.

"That was intense!" Aang complains.

"Well, get used to it," Katara says. "There's a lot of Firebending you still don't know, and you should probably practice your Airbending, too. I haven't seen you do that in a while."

Aang heaves a long, tired sigh. Then he positions his arm up straight, his elbow resting on his leg, and makes a mini-tornado with his fingers. After a few seconds he lets it fade and stands up.

"There, all done!" he jokes. "So, Natalie, do you have anything to eat for dinner?"

At the mention of food, Sokka sits up straight. "Preferably meat!" he adds.

That makes everyone laugh.

We end up having tacos for dinner. Everyone except Aang, of course. I made him one without meat. It was definitely a step out for the gang, but they all loved them.

"How did you make these?" Sokka asks through a mouthful of taco. "I've never had anything like them before!"

Whatever inflictions he was feeling earlier had definitely disappeared. I swallow to answer his question. "I kind of just threw a bunch of stuff together and wrapped it up. It's not hard. Glad you like them, though!"

"So what's in the meat?" Katara asks. "It's a whole lot spicier than any ordinary arctic hen."

I wink at her. "Nana's secret seasoning. Can't tell you."

And she nods, giving me a knowing look and a warm smile. That's one thing I really like about these people. They respect family traditions and secrets.

After dinner is the same as any other night. We chat, we watch television, we change, and we go to sleep.

"So I was thinking maybe you should wear your hair down today."

Toph's face is round and calm in the vanity mirror as she considers my suggestion. She stares at her reflection, and it's a shame she can't see with such pretty eyes.

"Yeah," Katara mutters through a yawn. Then she hands me the hairbrush and takes a seat on the floor next to Toph. "I've never seen you with your hair down, and we probably won't train today anyway, so it's alright if it gets in your face a little."

I nod and start to brush the tangles out of Toph's silky black hair.

She twists her lips in a slight grimace, but agrees. "Fine. Ow!"

"Sorry!" I say. I've tugged a bit too hard at one of the snarls in her hair.

Toph sighs. "But what if we _do_ end up training after all?"

"Then we can put it in a ponytail or something," Katara says with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "Look, if it makes you happy, I'll wear my hair down with you."

"Me too."

She hesitates, but caves in, "If you guys say so." Katara and I smile at each other. It's nice to have other people to do things like this with. I haven't seen my friends in a long time.

After a few minutes Toph's hair is all brushed out and ready to face the day, and I tiptoe into the hallway. As I make my way back to my bedroom to get dressed, I hear snoring and can't help but giggle a little. The guys are sleeping in, but they've earned it!

I grab an outfit consisting of denim capris and a T-shirt from my closet, then walk over to my mirror. I watch the long, chestnut waves fall around my shoulders as I rip the crazy bed-headed ponytail from my own hair and begin to brush it. Then I quietly open the door and head back into the living room where Toph and Katara are already watching TV.

"You guys really like this thing," I joke, plopping down next to Toph. I tip my head and tell her, "Your hair looks really nice."

"Thanks," she says doubtfully. I switch my gaze over to the TV and laugh.

"American Idol? Seriously?" Katara nods.

"Why?" she asks.

"I don't know…it's just funny. I didn't even know it was on in the morning."

"It's a rerun of last night's performances, since we missed them," Toph tells me. I can tell she knows I'm looking at her funny, so she adds, "Hey, when you can't _see_ what's happening, you _hear_ everything else!"

I shake my head, giggling. "You guys sure are getting the hang of things." Then I take it a little more seriously. What if they want to stay here permanently? Sure, that'd be great, except their own world needs them. They can't sit around here forever, no matter how much I'll miss them!

Then a sleepy groan interrupts my thoughts, and I look over just in time to see Zuko throw himself down next to me on his chair. Yes, it's becoming _his chair._

"Hey," I smile. Zuko grumbles and manages to mutter back something of a greeting. He's obviously not a morning person.

In about thirty minutes Aang and Sokka have joined us, and American Idol is halfway through and taking a commercial break, so I seize the opportunity.

"We always just sit around here and watch TV," I mumble. "You guys want to actually _do something_ today?"

"Like what?" Aang asks cheerfully. His eyes sparkle with energy, and I can't remember the last time I've seen someone his age with so much youth still in them. It makes me curious to know there's a whole different world of people out there, but it also makes me nervous to know that they're all waiting on him. I feel as if his anxiety has just crashed down on me, but I know it's not even half of what the young Avatar must feel, because I can just shake it off. How does he handle that so well?

"I don't know," I continue, tucking away my questions.

_Another time._

"Maybe we could just get in the car and ride around; see what looks fun?" I suggest.

Aang, Sokka, and Zuko mumble their agreements and head back into their rooms to get dressed. A little while later they come back.

"Everybody ready?" I ask.

"Yup," Aang answers, and we shuffle outside and into the minivan.

As I turn my key in the ignition, I wait for more screams, but there are only gasps and wide, bracing eyes in the rearview mirror. So I happily step on the gas and head farther into town.

In the passenger seat next to me, Zuko looks out the window, then down to the buttons on the side. He pushes the one that closes the window. Obviously, nothing happens, so he keeps pressing it.

"Urghh! I think this thing is broken!" he whines, aggravated. Geez, I wonder how much sleep he got last night?

"No, it's not broken," I laugh. "You're just not pressing the right button. That one closes the window, but it's already closed, so pushing it won't do anything. But the one under it opens the window. Here." I push the button on my left and the window rolls down. Zuko does the same, and he smiles, embarrassed.

"Uhh…thanks."

I smirk and flop my arm out the window. "No problem."

We pass by restaurants, bowling alleys, parks, even go-cart racing, but nothing really catches my eye. Or theirs, for that matter. But then we pass by a beach. I know that they can't read English, so the sign is no use, but when anyone sees the sand, the ocean, the seashells…

"Hey! Look!" Katara shouts, pointing. "I've never been to a beach like that before."

Sokka follows her gaze and his eyes light up. Same thing with Aang, too. Zuko grimaces.

"I don't know…" he says shiftily. Then he tries to cover his suspicions. "It's just a beach."

"Come on, Zuko," Aang urges. "It could be fun!"

"What do you think, Toph?" I ask. She had been silent this whole time.

"Do what you want," is her careless reply.

"Okay, all in favor of going to the beach, raise your hand!" Katara says.

Sokka, Aang, Toph and I raise our hands. Katara smirks.

"Looks like you're outnumbered, Zuko."

"If we're going to the beach," I say, pulling a U-turn, "then we'll need to get you guys some bathing suits."

No one argued, and as we drove to the nearest clothing store, I wondered how I was going to show Aang, Zuko, and Sokka how to wear a bathing suit.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N – Whoo! ;;does victory dance;; My tenth chapter anniversary! xD Thank you all for the reviews. (And for those of you that don't know, a tankini is like a bikini, except it's longer. Some of them actually go all the way down the stomach.) I don't own Avatar!_

* * *

_Beep! Beep! Beep-beep-beep-beep!_

Every time one of us walked through the door, the electric counter "beeped". The gang shuffled in behind me quickly, fearing the strange noise.

"Don't worry," I laughed. "It beeps every time someone walks in."

"So… that's normal?" Sokka asked.

"Totally," I said, motioning for the gang to follow. We walked through the racks of clothes until we reached the bathing suits.

"Okay guys, here's the deal. Whenever you go to the beach, you wear one of these to go swimming. They dry pretty quickly and have a special fabric so the ocean won't ruin them. They're not clothes, they're only for swimming. Got it?" They nodded and started looking through the racks.

"Oh, and there's different kinds, too. For you guys," I said, referring to Katara and Toph, "you can wear a one piece or a two piece. Some bathing suits are more revealing than others, so…well, just show me what you want before you try it on, okay?"

"Okay!" Katara and Toph agreed together. I let them go a little farther and then turned back to the boys.

"And you three," I started. Then I paused.

_What am I supposed to do? Man, I wish Erick was here._

Then again, I _always_ wish Erick was here.

"Uhm, you guys pretty much only have one option." I pointed to a rack a few feet away. "Swimming shorts. They're just shorts, but for swimming. Self-explanatory."

Aang walked over and picked something off of another rack, but I couldn't see what it was over Zuko's head, so I let them be and went to check on the girls.

"Find anything?" I asked, the mother load in Katara's hands coming into view.

"Oh, just a couple things," she said, smiling.

"We're not really getting all that," Toph laughed, sensing my unease. "It's just to try on, to get the hang of things."

I sighed in relief. "Okay. You ready to change?" They nodded, and I left them to their business.

"How are you guys doing?" I called from outside the men's dressing room. I saw Sokka heading in there a couple minutes before, so they should still be changing.

"What about these?" Aang asked stepping out, followed by Sokka. They came closer and I could see they were both wearing speedos. I did a classic facepalm.

"No, Aang. Not those." I muttered, my eyes never leaving the ground. "Just stay over there, alright? I'm gonna-wait, where's Zuko?"

"I'm not coming out!" came the muffled voice. And, more to himself than anyone else, "This is ridiculous."

I walked away, trying my best not to crack up. "Try again, guys!"

I called into the women's dressing room, this time a little more comfortably. Katara came out in a pretty blue bikini with bright orange Hawaiian flowers all over it. What's nice was that it was not a showy bikini; it covered all the necessary…parts…and she was comfortable in it.

"Nice! And you probably won't even need more than one, since…well, you know." I stuttered.

"Yeah, I know." She smiled sadly and closed the dressing room door behind her to change back.

"Toph? Are you-" She slammed open her door before I could finish.

"Okay, this is weird," she decided. She had on a gold and black bikini that was much too big for her, and definitely not her style.

"Hmmm…hold on a minute," I said, and went to a rack nearby. I picked out a tankini set with boy-shorts, instead of regular bottoms. It was a pale green like her eyes that faded to a deep blue. Very much like something the young Earthbender would wear.

"Try this," I suggested, handing her the bathing suit. She took it in her hands and went back in just as Katara opened up her door again.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said. Then, more quietly, "How's Toph doing?"

"I picked something out for her," I replied simply, and Katara trusted my judgment.

Soon, Toph came back out. We all agreed on that suit, and I gave them money to pay, hoping they'd do it right.

"Okay, guys," I said into the doorway of the men's dressing room, "times up. Whatcha got?"

Aang, Sokka, and Zuko all walked out in their clothes, carrying one pair of swimming shorts each in their hands.

"Nice. Let's go pay."

So the drive home was the usual. The gang was going to change, I needed to go back to get my own bathing suit, and we needed to pack some things, too.

After changing, I dragged the old beach bag out of the closet and shoved in a few towels, a blanket, and some money. Everyone slipped a T-shirt over their bathing suits, and we headed out again.

* * *

"How about here?" I said, dropping the beach bag where we stood. The gang nodded and helped me flatten out the blanket on the warm sand. I took a deep breath. The salty ocean air was fresh and new, and the sun was beaming. It was a beautiful day for the beach.

For a while we just kind of hung out, but then it was getting hot.

"Hey, wanna go in the water?" Aang suggested. I looked out at the sea. It was rough that day, and there were no lifeguards at this beach.

"Okay, just be careful," I answered. "Toph, do you want to go over and just let the waves hit your feet?" She nodded and we all got up and walked down to the water.

I stood beside Toph, where I could keep a good eye on everyone.

"You're quiet today," I told her.

She shrugged. "Guess I just have a lot on my mind."

I wondered what that could've meant when suddenly, I heard a big crashing sound. A giant wave had just come down on Zuko, and Aang and Katara were pulling him out of the water.

As they dropped him on the sand a little farther towards our stuff, Toph gasped. "He's unconscious!"

Concurrently, all the lessons of my elementary Girl Scout days came flooding back to me. I knew what I had to do. Hesitating, I walked over to Zuko and kneeled down beside him. I laid my head lightly against his chest and listened. He was breathing, but that wasn't good enough. Tucking my hair behind my ears, I picked my head up and thought,

_Here goes nothing…_

Giving someone mouth-to-mouth is an extremely awkward experience, especially giving it to someone like Zuko. He was a complicated person, and we barely knew each other. I talked to him the least out of the group, which was a pity. Zuko was a mystery to me, and I've always wanted to get to know him better.

I could feel the gang's eyes burning into me as I held Zuko's nose.

"What're you--" Katara's question was cut off immediately after I lunged for Zuko's mouth. I breathed into him, trying to bring him back to consciousness. Then I leaned back and did it all over again. And again. And again….

Somewhat thirty seconds later Zuko opened his eyes. He seemed to be in a daze. It was a pretty weird situation, if you think about it. He was laying there in the sand with me leaning closely over him. I could tell my hair was bothering him, the way it brushed his shoulders, but I didn't care, and he forgot about it too. We were so close that I could feel his breath, hot and shallow, against my face.

Those few seconds after he opened his eyes seemed like forever. He groaned and blinked slowly, as if he were an animal just retaliating from hibernation. I smiled shyly and dug my hands into the sand to push myself up and give him some space. But he grabbed my arm and jerked me down, shocking me with his strength. For some reason my lips were tingling, and I couldn't figure out why. Suddenly the sensation spread to the rest of my body and I realized this: he was kissing me.

I didn't really know how to react to this type of thing. I mean, I've dated guys before, but I've never been kissed. So whatever happened that day was not me, it was instinct.

I didn't start kissing back. I didn't relax my muscles. I didn't run my fingers through his bangs and I didn't let him hold the back of my head.

But one thing I _can_ take credit for is the feeling. It was amazing. I could taste the ocean in that kiss and feel the rumble of waves and current in his heartbeat.

When we finally broke away from each other, I dared to open my eyes. Zuko was staring up at me with a look of pure joy on his face. They say that eyes are the doorway to the soul, so that's where I searched. He seemed okay, but there was a deeper emotion in those amber depths. A slight feeling of sadness, and, wait-was that _recognition_ I saw? I imagined a memory flashing across his eyes, too quick for me to catch.

Too deep for me to currently understand.

As my mind wandered, I realized that I was still crouching over him, our noses just a few inches apart. His hands were back at his sides, and _my _hands were at his sides, too. I pushed myself up and adjusted my bathing suit. Then I froze, remembering the gang.

_Should I really look back?_

I blame instincts again.

Aang and Katara's expressions were hard to read, but Toph was just smirking as if she had predicted our whole day before breakfast. Sokka looked kind of sad, but then his face grew sarcastic and mischievous again. The whole beach seemed to be frozen.

"Uhh…" I stammered. What was I supposed to say after something like that?

"You don't need to talk." For once I was happy that Toph had interrupted me. She inched over to one of our beach chairs and, slowly and carefully, started to fold it up. I guess she can't see that well on sand.

"Let's just pack up and head back," Katara muttered, following Toph's lead. Everyone else did the same and we drove home in silence.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N – For some reason, when Natalie brings Zuko back to consciousness, the picture I get in my head reminds of when Prince Eric wakes up in "The Little Mermaid" and sees Ariel kneeling over him. ;;Shrugs;; I felt like I needed to share that. :D I don't own Avatar!_

* * *

The next few days went by in a blur. Everyone was pretty quiet, doing their own thing. Zuko and Aang went out training for a long time the day after the Beach Fiasco. Yup, that's what I'm calling it now. But since then, Zuko and I have been…avoiding each other.

Now Toph and Katara were training Aang (along with Sokka), I was reading a book in the living room, and Zuko was in his room doing who knows what?

I didn't even care anymore. Nope. Not at all. It was just a kiss. Zuko could go and do whatever he wanted now, it's not like it meant anything.

That's what I kept trying to tell myself, that I didn't like him kissing me. That it didn't feel amazing to have him showing any sign of affection. The truth is, I've always thought he was cute, and I guess I did kind of like him. And I know we barely knew each other. Maybe you could call it love at first sight or something, but I don't think it was exactly love. Still, I liked him immensely. He was a puzzle I felt I needed to piece together.

So when I heard the footsteps creeping up I immediately closed my book. But I didn't turn around. I waited until the footsteps stopped on the opposite side of the room and looked up to see Zuko plop down on the couch across from me. He looked defeated, in a way. His back was slouched and his head hung down so that his hair covered his eyes, which stunk because I was getting good at reading them.

I crossed one leg over the other and waited. He's the one who kissed me. Why should _I_ start talking?

But after about a minute passed I was shifting in my chair. I laid the book down on the end table next to me and stood up.

"Natalie, wait." Zuko's voice was hoarse and tired, as if he'd been living in a desert for a month with no time to sleep. Making sure my face was emotionless, I sat back down without a word and nodded for him to continue. He cleared his throat.

"I don't want to keep avoiding you," he started quietly. "It's just that…I…"

"You didn't know how to react?" The words blurted out so fast I barely realized that I was the one who said them. Zuko nodded, and I said, "Me neither."

He blinked thoughtfully. "So…what do you think we should do?"

I paused. It's not like I haven't thought this over day and night, but when you're actually in the situation, plans fall through.

"I don't know," I replied honestly. "What do you _want_ to do?"

"What do I want to do?" he repeated. I started to nod, but then he stood up and quickly moved to the chair closest to mine. He took my chin in his hand and kissed me gracefully. It was a short kiss that left me wanting more, but he got the message clear across without saying a word.

I smiled. "Me too."

* * *

At dinner that night, everything was much more at-ease. Aang and Sokka blabbed on and on about anything and everything, with Katara and Toph putting in their two cents every once in a while. I didn't mind the chatter. I'm actually surprised no one noticed that I was ecstatic. I stole glances at Zuko between sips of water and every time he caught me, I was beaming, because I knew he had been staring back.

Nearing bedtime, I think I was the happiest I had ever been in my life. It made me kind of loopy, I almost felt drunk from lightheartedness. Humming a random tune, I waltzed into Katara and Toph's room and picked up the hairbrush. But before I could run it through my hair, Toph grabbed it and bonked me on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" I knew she was just joking, but it kind of hurt.

Toph smiled. "What happened?"

Now I was confused.

"With Zuko, she means," Katara explained. "You guys seem okay now, but we just want to know what's up. I don't want to be pushy or anything, but I'm just…concerned." And it was true, I heard the caring side of Katara come out with every syllable.

"You guys saw what happened on the beach. I don't have to go through that again, do I?" They shook their heads. "Well, we talked, and I guess we're sort of…I don't know…"

Katara motioned for me to go on. I took a breath and shrugged. "…a couple?"

Katara and Toph turned to each other. I expected them to start cracking up, but instead they bombed me with questions.

"What? Really?"

"How did that happen?"

"Are you okay with that?"

"Did he kiss you again?"

I answered them as well as I could without giving everything away. It's not like we were really definitely boyfriend and girlfriend, right? I mean, I said "_sort of_ a couple," not "my one true love".

* * *

We went out for breakfast the next morning. Katara and Toph had kept me up half the night, so I was too tired to cook anything. Heck, I was too tired to pour milk and granola in a bowl and call it oatmeal.

I guess Sokka and Aang squeezed all the "juicy details" out of Zuko too, because when they saw we were sitting next to each other at the diner they just smiled and elbowed him and whispered something I couldn't quite catch.

They were getting kind of carried away. I mean, I know it may have been exciting or something, but…it didn't seem as big a deal as they were making of it. Either way, I was still happy.

Back at home, there were a few messages on the answering machine. I pressed play.

"Hello, would you like to buy…"

Salesperson. Delete.

"Hey Tom, this is Joe..."

Wrong number. Delete.

"This message is for the Kelson family. We have news regarding the condition of Erick Kelson."

My heart stopped. I ordered the gang to please be silent and turned the volume up.

"The army apologizes for not informing you sooner, but there was a long period of time where we could not find a signal on our radios or phones. Erick Kelson's base has been moved to a new location in Iraq called Baghdad, as he is receiving medical care. He was shot multiple times in the chest during a gruesome battle, and he needs to heal. He is very much alive. Thank you..."

I stopped the message before the caller gave his name. It wasn't a recording, but I didn't care much who had said it. I was just relieved to have news of my brother, and know that he was alive.

Suddenly I felt something wet and warm slide down my face, and realized I was crying. I wiped a tear away as the gang came over.

"What happened?" Katara asked. I sniffled and giggled a little bit.

"Don't worry, it's good news. My brother is fighting in a war, and for a long time we didn't know where he was, but now we do," I explained.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Zuko. He said nothing, just stood there smiling encouragingly, his hand spreading warmth throughout my body.

"That's great, Natalie!" Aang said. It was always nice to have a happy kid like him around. Of course, he wasn't _always_ happy. I could tell how much he liked Katara. He might have even loved her. I know he's only twelve, but he was a mature kid. And the only bad part of his affection was that it seemed to be unrequited.

I looked over to Katara, who was obviously in some faraway place, deep in her mind. She seemed to like Aang a lot, but only as a friend. I suppose that's a start…

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. We hung around the house, and suddenly I realized I hadn't told my mother the news. I left the gang in the living room and told them I had to make a call.

I took a deep breath. Mom was nice enough, I guess, but she didn't really know me. She never tried. I don't think she ever wanted too, anyway. And she cared way too much about money. Dad was the same way, except worse. I picked up the phone and dialed her number.

"Hello?" mom said.

"Hey mom, it's Natalie. I have some news about Erick."

She was quiet for a few seconds. "What is it?"

"He's alive, but he's being moved to a new place in Iraq called Baghdad because he was hurt really bad in a battle and needs to get better there."

I heard her sigh in relief. "Why couldn't they tell us sooner?" And judging by the way she asked that, you would've thought she was blaming _me._

But I kept the anger inside. "Their radios couldn't pick up a signal for a while." I stated calmly.

She snorted. "They really need better equipment. You know, if _I _got a chance to work there, I'd definitely-"

"That's all," I interrupted. I wasn't going to listen to her go on and on about why she'd do a better job at whatever. "I have to go. Talk to you soon."

I knew she'd be angry with me for cutting her off like that, but I didn't care. When she was about to say goodbye I hung up the phone and walked back into the living room.

Frustrated and sighing, I settled down on the couch nearest to Zuko's chair. He turned to me with a confused look on his face, but I just shook my head. I didn't want to talk about it.

* * *

I dreamt last night. I dreamt about Erick. It was pretty weird. It was like what would've happened if the horrid person who shot my brother hadn't missed his heart.

Erick was in the army, battling with Iraq, and there was a massive storm. The sky was a dull red and I couldn't tell which rumbled louder, the thunder or the guns. So they were fighting and all of a sudden Erick got shot, straight through the heart, and collapsed. For some reason all I could do was sit and watch. I never talked in these dreams. The battle kept going on and the bullet was spreading through Erick's body, eating it like acid. Dissolving him. When he was almost completely gone, the troops finally noticed but figured there was nothing they could do, so they left him and kept fighting. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning raced down and scooped him up, bringing him to meet the sky. All I could do was watch and hope that Heaven loomed above those stormy clouds.

I think you can understand why I woke up screaming bloody murder.

"What happened?

"Are you okay?"

"What's going on?!"

The gang's questions slurred together as they burst through my bedroom door.

"N-nothing," I stuttered, my voice shaking. It wasn't only my voice, I was freezing cold but sweating all over, and my sheets were torn completely off the bed. Somehow I managed to keep the blanket wrapped around me and my pillow at my…feet?

"It was just a nightmare." I sighed and tried to slow down my racing heart. "Go back to sleep, guys."

"If you're sure…" Sokka said warily. He and Toph lazily padded out, followed by Aang.

"Sorry to wake you!" I called softly after them. I was still sitting in my bed, so I leaned over and picked my sheets up off the floor.

"You want to talk about it?" Katara asked quietly. I smiled gratefully but shook my head.

"I'm okay, honest," I said. She nodded and went back to her own room. Zuko was the last one there. He was leaning against the open door with his arms crossed and foot tapping thoughtfully. His head was turned away from me so I saw him at a side view. I think he was waiting to speak until Katara's door closed and the house fell completely silent.

"I'm not buying this again," he said quietly.

"Buying what?"

He turned to me. "The fact that you're 'okay.'" He put air quotes around the last word with his fingers. "You wouldn't wake us up screaming like that if something wasn't bothering you."

I sighed. "Alright, I'm not okay. I'm upset, I'm confused, and I don't want to talk about it. Good?" That came out with much more venom than I had intended. Zuko narrowed his eyes.

"I just want to help you. If you're so intent on doing it yourself, _fine._"

He was about to leave. "I'm sorry," I whispered. He stopped, facing the doorway, and listened. "I just have a lot to handle right now. I don't want to drag you guys into it."

He turned back around and walked to my bed. Settling down on it, he smiled and said, "It's okay."

Sometimes it disgusts me, how he could just make me melt like that. I mean, I liked it, but…it's weird. I know he was exactly positive of what he was doing, but it's not like I resisted or anything.

Cool night air was blowing in from my open window. A shiver passed down my spine and I pulled the blankets up to my shoulders. Zuko squeezed my hand before going back to bed, and I tried to calm the cyclone that was tearing apart my brain.

* * *

_A/N – Okay, I really need you guys' opinions on this: Do you like the Zuko and Natalie thing, or do you think I'm getting carried away? I love writing the romance stuff, and I'm trying my best to slow them down a bit. PLEASE tell me what you think in the comments. Also, I made a poll on my profile. Thanks!_


	12. Chapter 12

__

A/N – Well, you guys wanted action. This chapter is dedicated to Moelike and her family! :D Moelike herself came up with the drowning/CPR thing in chapter 10, and her family helped me a great deal with this one. (Thanks guys!) I don't own Avatar!

* * *

"Looks like we need to go shopping."

My voice, followed by the closure of a cabinet door, echoed throughout the house. I turned to the kitchen doorway where Katara was standing. She nodded her agreement.

"When should we go?" she asked.

"Whenever they're ready," I replied, referring to Toph and Sokka. They had just woken up and were lying on the couches like they just ran a marathon. Katara giggled at the sight.

"Come on, guys," she said, walking into the living room and shaking them a bit. "We need to go food shopping."

Sokka shot up. "We're out of food?!"

"Quiet, Snoozles," Toph muttered through the pillow lying on her face. "It's too early to be annoying."

Sokka rolled his eyes and began walking down the hall. "Be ready in a few minutes!" he called over his shoulder. I nodded, then turned to Toph.

"You getting up soon?" I asked her. She groaned and took the pillow off of her head, mumbling something about Sokka and no sleep. I watched her waddle back to her room, then resorted to watching TV until they came out again.

* * *

"Okay, milk, eggs, yogurt…good," I muttered.

_Wow. I'm talking to a shopping list._

I grabbed the items from the refrigerated shelves and placed them in the cart. The gang looked around from their spots near me, under orders not to stray too far. They were still getting used to public places.

"I think we're done, guys," I said. They followed me to the register where I paid and put the bags back in the shopping cart, then helped me load the bags into the minivan.

"Sokka, can you put this back for me please?" I asked, gesturing at the cart. He nodded and ran it over to the group of others. "Thanks."

Riding home was the usual. The same old chatter. The gang helped me bring everything inside, then got ready to train. But I noticed something.

"Hey, Aang, did you happen to see my wallet on the counter?" I asked. He blinked thoughtfully and walked over.

"Didn't you take it with us?" he asked.

"No, I just took some money out to pay, but I'm positive I left the wallet right here," I answered, patting the counter. He shrugged.

"Maybe you put it somewhere else and forgot or something."

"Maybe. I'll go check."

But it wasn't anywhere. There was also a few hundred dollars missing from my parents' emergency fund, and some of my mom's necklaces. Thank God she took all the real diamond ones with her.

"Uhh…this might sound crazy, but I think we were robbed," I said, joining the gang back in the kitchen.

"What?" Katara gasped. "What did they take?"

"Not much. Just some money and fake jewelry. But next time we go out, let's be careful. Crime activity here isn't big but it's not worth the risk."

The gang nodded and proceeded out the back door.

* * *

"No! You were supposed _block_ the attack, not run away!"

"Sorry, Zuko."

Aang's mistaken use of Airbending was pointed out bluntly by his Firebending master. He took his stance again and breathed with his eyes closed. It's amazing how much concentration this took. These were really patient kids. Well…most of the time.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's try again." Aang was a greatly talented person, but for some reason today he seemed distracted and lost.

"Forget it," Zuko muttered, his voice almost cracked with frustration. "We can pick this up tomorrow or something." Aang frowned but nodded and bowed to Zuko, who did the same. Then Katara stepped in for some Waterbending practice.

Zuko sighed lazily as he took a seat next to me on the boulder.

"What's up with him lately?" he asked me. "He's losing focus."

I shrugged. "He's the Avatar. There must be lots of stuff on his mind." Zuko sighed again.

"Well whatever it is, he'd better get over it soon. He has to defeat the Firelord no matter what."

I nodded and returned my attention to the training arena. Waterbending was so much different from Firebending. For one thing, it was much more defensive than offensive. And it was used for healing, too, not just fighting. But all the elements were graceful. They each had their own unique blesses and curses that needed the skill of a master and the audacity to be themselves to survive.

Eventually, the training session ended and we returned to the house to sleep. I retired to my bed early, falling into the comforting darkness of a dreamless slumber.

* * *

_Screaming. Angry, rushed, then surprised. Accusatory. Angry again. Fearful. A loud crash, then a thump. Silence._

I laid in my bed, too confused to get up. But something swelled within me. Curiosity? Fear? Audacity? I'm not sure. But I left the safe haven of my sheets and pillows to investigate.

Two men and a heap on the floor. It was still dark, but I could tell exactly who was there, tied up in ropes.

"What're you doing?" I asked breathlessly. Suddenly there was a sickening crack on my skull, and searing pain in my cranium.

The already dark room crumbled to black.

* * *

I held my head up and leaned against the wall to calm my aching brain. The longer I was awake, the clearer my vision became. I looked at my hands, at my feet and my body, and ran my fingers through my hair. No blood. Good.

The remains of the shattered vase that was once crashed upon my skull lay everywhere along the hallway. Delirious, I slapped myself. It was not a dream. Then I remembered.

"Katara!" I called. "_Katara!_"

"What's wrong?!" Aang whispered fiercely, appearing from his bedroom.

I was breathing heavily. "The guys who robbed the house came back last night. I guess Katara heard them first, so she went out while they were trying to get more stuff. They knocked her out and tied her up. I heard the crash and came out, but they hit me on the head with that vase." I pointed frantically to the shards on the ground. "Next thing I knew I was waking up in the hall."

"Where's Katara?"

"They took her, I think. I don't know where. It was so late at night." And it was still early, then. About one o'clock in the morning. It was raining heavily.

"Look!" Aang ran into the kitchen. A note was posted on the refrigerator.

_Ooh, refrigerator magnets. How frightening._

He ripped it off the door and handed it to me.

"_We know you're swimming in cash. Bring fifty-grand to the old abandoned shack deep in the woods behind Messina's Gas Station and you can have the girl_," I read out loud. Aang's face tightened and the determination shone brightly in his youthful eyes.

"We have to go, Natalie," he said. Without hesitation, I nodded.

"Let's let the others sleep. We can tell them what happened when we get back."

* * *

The car door slammed silently, all noise being drowned out by the pounding rain. Aang and I walked wordlessly behind Messina's Gas Station and stood at the beginning of the forest. I exchanged a glance with him, then took a breath and cautiously entered the wood. He followed closely.

Umbrellas would have been no use. We were already drenched, and the trees blocked out most of the rain. But still, we rushed.

I had no idea what we were getting into. I don't think Aang did, either. These criminals could have been--and probably were--dangerous. But we had to do this. He had to, for Katara.

Finally I caught sight of a building in the distance. It was much larger than I had imagined. It might've even been bigger than the gas station it was hidden behind. All windows were boarded up except for two on the right side, and the door was nothing more than a few strips of wood.

I could see lots of boxes through holes in the walls. Then one especially large that jogged a memory…

_No way, a coffin?!_

I shook my head and looked over at Aang. The fear in his eyes contradicted the steady expression on his face. I was scared too. For him, for me, for Katara, for him and Katara together and what might happen to us all.

I stopped before the abandoned shack.

"Should we make a plan?"

"Well, you brought the money, right?" Aang asked. I nodded. "Then we'll just give it to them and hope they let us have Katara."

"But what if they don't? What if they….what if they hurt her?" I didn't want to bring up the possibility that she might very well be dead.

"Then I'll have to fight them."

The young Avatar stepped forward and opened the door carefully. I sighed and swallowed my fear…or at least tried to.

We tiptoed inside.

"Hello?" he called bravely. "Anybody here?"

"Shh, listen," I whispered to Aang. I heard voices from the other side of the building. There was also an uncomfortable echo of rain as it fell through the holes in the ceiling and hit the floor messily.

"You that rich Kelson girl?" a man asked, stepping toward us. I nodded, my eyes narrowed. "Lucas! Get in here!"

Another man appeared from the shadows and crossed his arms over his chest. "You bring that hundred-grand?"

"_Hundred?_" I asked. Lucas nodded impatiently.

"It was all in the note, sweetheart. Andrew wrote it himself." The criminal's partner remained still.

"The note only asked for fifty," I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the money. "So that's all I brought."

Andrew's lip curled, and his heavy New York accent put an urban tinge on his words.

"Listen here, dawling," he said, stepping up close to me. I stood unmoving, but saw Aang's muscles tense when Andrew got in my face. "You give us a hundred thousand dollas or you ain't makin' it outta dis place."

"If we knew you wanted more cash we would have brought some, but we didn't and fifty is already a lot so couldn't you just take it and let us leave with our friend?" My optimism obviously wasn't working, judging by the men's laughter. I looked over at Aang, willing him to see how defeated I felt. I nodded for him to do something and he turned back to Andrew and Lucas.

"Take the money and let us go, or else," the boy threatened. More laughter.

"Or else what?" Lucas asked.

"I'll attack."

Andrew walked up to Aang and pushed his chest, shoving him back a little. "Gimme a break, kid. You're like, ten."

Suddenly, Aang Airbended out a gust of wind, throwing Andrew to the ground. He placed his foot on the man's chest, looked down at him, and said,

"Actually, I'm twelve."


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N – Muahahaha. Can you say cliff-hanger? Don't worry, this chapter resolves it…or does it? :o I don't own Avatar!_

Lucas looked from Aang, to me, then down at his partner.

"We don't want to fight," he said hesitantly. "Just give us-"

He was halfway through the sentence when Aang blew a stream of air out, slamming him against a pile of boxes. A coffin fell off the stack, opened, and sent a heap of rope and body tumbling out.

"Katara!" I gasped. She was either unconscious or…asleep. Her eyes were closed and she laid still.

"Let us go," Aang demanded. Lucas rubbed his head and stood up, then helped Andrew to his feet.

"Not until we get that money," he said.

"I told you, we don't even have it!" I argued. Andrew took a few steps forward, his fists balled up and jaw clenched. I inched backward, then hit my head on something. I whirled around, realizing it was a fire extinguisher, and took it in my hands. Andrew smirked.

"What, you're gonna blast me with foam?" He sized me up and I think even prepared to hit me, but instead fell to the floor after a loud _bonk!_

I had swung the fire extinguisher at Andrew's head.

And I had not missed.

"Aw, geez! Andrew's knocked out. What am I gonna do now?" Lucas's sarcasm was so irritating. He smirked and started to walk toward me, but Aang Waterbended a blast of rain at him. I sighed in relief.

"Go get Katara!" he yelled, taking his stance. I ran over to her still, petite form and began to untangle the rope.

"Stupid kids…weird karate…fire extinguisher…" Lucas was muttering in between his sorry excuses of self-defense. I shook my head in amusement.

Finally, the knots were untied. I sat Katara up against a box and shook her gently, whispering her name. When she didn't wake up, I went to a puddle, cupped my hands, and splashed some of the water in her face. I sighed. This wasn't working.

So I briefly checked her for cuts or injuries. I didn't find any, but looked up just in time to see her eyes open slowly. Their sea-blue depths flickered different shades of emotion: confusion, fear, realization…others I couldn't catch.

"Where are we?" she asked weakly. "Where are those guys who tied me up?" Her body jerked a little. "Natalie! The robbers came back last night, and-"

"I know," I interrupted. "They wanted money but instead one is on the floor and the other is fighting Aang."

She looked alarmed. "Should we go help?" I smirked and pointed at the scuffle which Aang was clearly winning.

"I think he's got it under control."

I saw Katara smile faintly as Aang effortlessly knocked Lucas out with one last water whip. Then he ran over.

"Katara, are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down next to her.

"I'm fine, Aang." She put one hand on his face. "Thanks."

Aang blushed and shrugged, trying to hide his feelings.

"We'd better get home," I said. Aang helped Katara up and let her lean on him for support. She was still a little unsteady after being unconscious for so long.

We were greeted by Sokka, Zuko, and Toph as soon as I pulled into the driveway.

"What happened?" Sokka asked, helping Katara out of the van.

"You know those guys who robbed the house yesterday?" Aang asked. Sokka nodded. "They came back last night and Katara went to stop them, but they took her back to some weird shack thing."

Sokka turned to his sister. "Why didn't you tell us what was going on?"

She shrugged and muttered, "I thought I could handle it."

"Is that where you went?" Zuko asked me, holding the door for everyone.

"Yeah. They left a note saying we could exchange Katara for money, but they wanted more money than they wrote, so I got to keep it anyway. They were both unconscious when we left."

"How did _that_ happen?" Toph asked, helping to ease Katara onto the couch.

"Aang fought one of them," Katara said, flashing the boy a smile. "You should've seen him."

"And the other?"

Aang looked at me before answering, amusement filling his eyes. "Natalie hit him on the head with a big metal thing."

I had to laugh at the way he put the sentence. "It's called a fire extinguisher."

"Right."

Zuko raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"What, you don't think I can be violent?" I joked, nudging him a little. He rolled his eyes, the smile never leaving his face.

"Shouldn't we call the police or something?" Katara asked. I thought about that for a minute. I didn't want the police getting involved with the gang, even though there was no proof of their bending or anything. They'd be like lab rats if the government got a hold of them. So I shook my head.

"It'd be better if we just left it. I don't want you guys getting in police issues. If we see those guys again…well, let's hope we don't see them again. Okay?"

They nodded.

"Natalie, I've been thinking, and maybe we should show you how to fight," Toph said. I looked over at her.

"You mean like…karate or something?" I asked. Toph shrugged.

"Even if those guys don't come back, it'd be good for you to know."

"But…see, where I live…here…it really isn't as violent as where you guys are. You have to fight practically every day to survive. I just go on doing my thing," I explained.

"But having us here is adding violence to your every-day life. Why not just try it?"

I sighed. "What am I supposed to do, though? I can't bend, I can't use swords…I mean, if I was ever seriously in danger I could defend myself. I know how to kick and stuff. Maybe I should stick to the modern-day fighting style."

"No one said you have to do it exactly like us," Toph said. "And it could be fun. Haven't you ever wanted to do a sport unlike anything here?" I nodded.

"We knew a girl who could shoot daggers," Katara piped in. I felt Zuko stiffen beside me and gave him a questioning look. He just shook his head and tried to relax.

"That's cool. Was she good?" I asked, slowly but not completely returning my attention to the conversation.

"Well…setting aside the facts that she actually shot them at _us_ and she usually didn't win…she _was_ pretty good," Katara answered.

"Look, Natalie," Aang said. "You don't need to know anything fancy. Chances are, you won't need to fight at all. But just in case something happens, with the robbers or maybe our situation, you should probably know some basic fighting moves."

"Maybe, if you're sure…" I thought for a moment. "Fine."

"And if this doesn't work," Toph said, smirking, "we're buying you a gun."

_A/N – Nice ending, huh? xD Well, I always knew I'd have to put Maiko-ish things in this, considering they broke up and Mai still has feelings. Zuko probably does too…gosh; I'm caught between Maiko and Nat/Zuko! How did I get here?! I certainly don't like this place. D: Anyways, I can't think of much more to do with this right now, so expect my next piece to be either a oneshot or an update on "Shades of Mai". HAPPY SUMMER!_


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

"Natalie, what's gay marriage?"

The question nearly knocked me off my feet.

"I'm sorry, what, Aang?" I asked, walking into the living room. He pointed to the television.

"The news guy just said it was allowed here. What is it?"

"Erm, well…" I racked my brains for a suitable explanation. How was I supposed to tell them about something that relied completely on a person's own opinion? After trying to quickly think about it, I picked the easiest way.

"If a guy is gay, it means he likes other guys."

Aang paused. "You say that like it's a bad thing. I like Zuko; I don't see anything wrong with that. Though I wouldn't want to marry him…"

"No, Aang, I think she means that the guy likes the other guy more than a friend. Enough to date or marry him," Zuko explained.

"Oh."

Toph grimaced. "This place is weird."

"I don't know," I said, shrugging. "It depends on your opinion. Some people are so against them that it's like being racist. I don't agree with gays, but at the same time I think people should be able to marry whoever they want. Love is love."

"I suppose," Katara said warily. "And what's 'racist'?"

I sighed, falling back on the couch next to her.

"Racism is when you don't like someone or think you're better than them because of their race."

"Sounds like how people are about the Fire Nation," Zuko said rather gloomily.

"Well, I mean…the Fire Nation's been trying to take over the world for a hundred years, right? That's kind of different."

"So…you're into racism?" Katara guessed.

"Ugh, no, I'm totally against it. I'm just comparing our situations, that's all."

"Oh, okay."

_Time to change the subject._

"So, when should I start training? And more importantly, what am I even going to do?"

"We'll figure something out today," Toph shrugged. "You'll probably just learn some hands-on, basic techniques."

"You could try using a sword, if you want," Sokka suggested.

"Uhh, no thanks. I think I'd come out of the area with one arm if you gave me that."

They laughed a little, and so did I, but it was probably true. I couldn't use a _sword!_ Soon, the room went silent again.

* * *

I breathed deeply, trying to keep my cool on the way to the training area. Honestly, I was scared. I had never learned anything about fighting in my entire life, not even karate. Though I wasn't afraid of that, necessarily. I was afraid of failing.

"What's the matter?" Zuko asked quietly, sensing my uneasiness. I asked him the same question I had been asking myself the whole time.

"What if I can't do it?"

"Come on; it's not that hard."

"For you guys. But fighting's in your blood. Up until now I had no reason to learn even basic self-defense." I turned to him and saw the odd expression on his face. He almost looked amused.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just…you talk kind of funny. No offense," he added. But I wasn't offended, just curious.

"Funny how? Like, good or bad?"

"Just…funny. Different."

"Okay, I guess. But really," I said, returning to the original subject, "I'm nervous."

"Don't be. You're stronger than you think."

They weren't much, but his words and the feeling of his hand slipping into mine gave me confidence. And I was assured.

The arena coming into sight, my apprehension turned to excitement. I realized that the part of me that feared the unknown was immature. I mean, I was sixteen, not six.

Everyone walked inside and spread out over the grassy field. I wondered if I should take my sneakers off, because that's what they did most times when they trained, they went barefoot. But I decided against it when I started tripping over loose rocks.

"Okay, so first, you ta-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, stop right there, Princey," Toph said, interrupting an already very annoyed-looking Zuko.

"_What?_" he spat at her, exasperation in his voice. I remembered that Zuko was still pretty new to their group, and probably not so used to Toph and her 'way with words'.

"You can't train your _girlfriend_," she said. "You'll be worried about her getting hurt or something."

"No, I can-"

"Uh-uh. Up there." She pointed to the large boulder I had sat at when I first watched them train. I notice how the ice chunk had melted but still left a huge hole in its front. Zuko narrowed his eyes at the Earthbender, but pressed no further arguments, and climbed up the rock next to Sokka.

"Okay, _now_ we can start," she said once Aang and Katara stopped giggling. "First thing's first: your stance. It needs to be strong so you won't be knocked over, but you still need to be able to move at any second. Twinkletoes, show her."

I looked over to Aang, who was now in the position I was supposed to make: his head, outstretched arms, and legs pivoted forward, and the rest of his body staying sideways. I mimicked the stance as best I could.

"Good," Katara said, nodding. "But you can make your hands into fists instead; because I don't think air is going to shoot from your fingertips."

I chuckle, taking her suggestion. Aang did the same.

"And now you strike with your back hand, stepping forward at the same time," he explained. I tried to synchronize the movement of my hands and feet, watching his demonstration carefully. Katara suggested I try it a few more times, and I did, while Toph put in her two cents here and there. They taught me a few more moves, and about an hour and a half later, we headed back. So far I knew how to punch, kick, and block while in a stance, and how to make some hits while running. At that point I couldn't even remember what I had been nervous about. It was actually kind of fun.

* * *

After everyone had eaten dinner and gone to bed, I remained outside on the front porch, trying to sort out my thoughts. Suddenly a stream of light came from behind me when the front door opened, and I heard the person close it then settle down next to me.

"You did well today." I recognized the dark, heavy voice immediately. It was Zuko.

"I guess it went better than I thought it would," I agreed.

"There's something they didn't teach you though," he said. "Breathing."

"Breathing?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "When you're fighting, it's crucial to focus on your breath. In Firebending, the breath becomes energy in your body, then the energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire. It can do a similar thing for you. Breathe, and feel the energy in your body, which will most likely turn to adrenaline. Think about why you're fighting, and let that become your drive."

I just sit there for a moment afterwards, letting his words sink in.

"Who taught you that?" I asked quietly.

"My Uncle. He taught me everything I know."

I guess he didn't like talking about this uncle, because the next thing he says is,

"So why are you out here?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking. Trying to get some peace and quiet."

Zuko nodded, understanding what I meant. Not only did I want peace and quiet in my surroundings, I wanted it in my mind, too.

"But I'm getting tired. I think I'm going to bed now," I decided.

We stood up, and before we walked inside I made sure to grab his hand.

"Thanks for the advice," I whispered once we were outside of my bedroom. He acknowledged this with a tired smile, whispering back,

"Goodnight."

Without thinking it through, I leaned forward (and on my toes), briefly touching my lips to his. Once my feet are flat on the floor again, I smile back.

"Goodnight."

* * *

_A/N – I know, I know, short/boring chapter. But I'm soooo happy I got this done. But you guys, you can keep hating me. The amount of time since my last update is positively REDICULOUS. I apologize. And just for you all to know: Natalie can NOT bend. Sorry if I bursted any bubbles out there, I'm just clearing the air. And I can get you a new bubble, if you want. :D Also, I'll be camping for four days, and I don't have a laptop or anything so I won't be posting any new chapters till September 2__nd__, at least. And school starts on the 3__rd__ for me. But don't worry, I have notebooks. So, too much Nat/Zuko? Let me know please. And this is random, but for someone enduring so much emotional struggle, Natalie holds herself together very well, I think. Maybe that's what Zuko meant when he said "You're stronger than you think." Hmm. ONE LAST THING. I started a story with my buddy Moelike! :D It's awesome, head over to her profile and look for the one called "Freedom Lake" if you'd like to read. Sorry for the fifty-paragraph Author's Note. I just have a lot to say._


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